Track-jack



(No Model.)

P. LARKIN.

TRACK JACK,

110.568,141. Patented Sept. 22, 1896.

. near the front end, are bolted the foot-pieces h UNITED STATES` PATENT Critica,

PATRICK LARKIN, OF SAN JACINTO, CALIFORNIA.

SPECIFICATION forming part 0f Letters Patent No. 568,141, dated September 22, 1896.

' Application filed June 10,1896. Serial No. 595,047. (No model.) i

To all whom t may con/cern.-

Be it known that l, PATRICK LARKIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Jacinto, in the county of Riverside and State of California,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Track-Jacks; and I do declare the following to loe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention has relation to railway track raisers or jacks, and it is designed as an improvement on the Letters Patent granted to me on the 22d day of November, 1887, No. 373,744, and the object is to support the track in an elevated position after the lever or clawebar has raised it; and to this end the novelty consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of the same, as will be hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings the same letters of reference indicate the same parts of the invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved track-jack in position for raising one side of a track. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the lever detached from the jack.' Fig. 3 is a front view of the jack; Fig. 4, a rear view of the same, and Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the pivoted supportingframe removed from the machine.

The fulcrum-block consists of a rigid base or platform a of a width to t between the cross-ties of a track,to the upperside of which,

of the standards b. These standards are arranged parallel to each other and at right angles with the base or platform a, their rear edges being provided with a series of downwardly-inclined recesses 192130 receive the fulcrum stud or pin d of the lever or claw-bar d. To the rear outer edges of the base a are bolted the lower ends of the brace-rods c, said brace-rods being inclined forwardly and upwardly and connected at their upper ends to the upper ends of the standards b by a stayloolt f, which also serves to brace the upper ends of the standard at the proper distance apart.

The lever CZ may be a claw-bar of ordinary construction, provided at a little distance from its lower end with a rigid transverse ful- Crum-stud d', the ends of which project on either side of the lever and are adapted to engage t-he inclined notches h2 in the rear vertical edges of the standards b.

A A are two depending parallel levers fulcrumed on the stay-bolt f, and their forward edges are provided with a series of ratchetshaped teeth B, and their lower ends terminate in a toe C, which strikes against the foot-pieces b of the standards and limits the movement of the said levers in that direction. W'hen in this position, the ends of the teeth B are approximately in a line with the front edges of the standards, and in practice the teeth B are regularly arranged on each lever about an inch apart; but the teeth on the lever A alternate with the teeth onV the lever A', so that an adjustment equivalent to onehalf their distance apart is obtained by this arrangement of alternating the teeth.

The upper ends of the levers A A are formed with a T-shaped head, and the outer ends of these heads are bentoutwardly to form transverse angular arms D D', and between said arms is secured a transverse brace-holt E, upon the ends of which, on each side of the upper ends of said levers, are pivoted the lower ends F F of the handles G Gr. As will be seen, these handles are independently pivoted on the brace-bolt E, and the handle G controls the movement of the lever A and the handle G the lever A', the handle itself being of sufficient weight that when thrown over to the right, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. l, one of the ends F of the handle strikes against the arm D and throws the lever forward, so that one of its teeth will engage with the flange a of the rail I, and thereby support the rail in its raised position, while to release the teeth of the supporting-lever from the rail the handle is thrown over to the left, as shown in dotted lines. The lower end F, striking against the arm D, `withdraws the lever from the rail and restores it to its normal position, with the toe C on the lower ends of the levers A A resting against the foot-pieces b', as shown.

In operation the end of the base or platform a extending forward of the standards is inserted beneath a railchair between the crosseties, with the front edge of the stand- IOO ards in contact with the flange c' of the rail I. The lower end of the lever l is then inserted beneath the head or the flange of the rail, as

is most convenient, and the stud CZ dropped into a pair of recesses b2, abreast the point of contact of the lever and the rail. The free end of the lever is now depressed to raise a section of the rail and cross-ties, and by throwing the handles backward the particular tooth on the supporting-levers A A which is in line with the flange will engage it to support the track in that position for tamping or other purposes. As, for instance, if it is desired to raise the track to a greater height, the lever (l is withdrawn and inserted in the next higher pair of recesses b2, the teeth on the lever A or A supporting the track while the position of the lever d is being changed, and thus the rail and ties may be conveniently and expeditiously raised the required distance.

Although I have specilically described the construction and relative arrangement ofthe several elements of my invention, I do not desire to be conlined to the same, as such changes or modifications may be made as clearly fall within the scope of my invention without departing from the spirit thereof.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

l. The combination with a lever track-jack as described, of the hinged supporting-lever A, formed with the ratchet-teeth B, and having the ,pivoted handle F, G, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A track-jack as described, comprising the lever A, formed with teeth B, and pivoted to said jack by the bolt f, and provided with the integral angular arms D D and the weighted handle G, the lower ends F of which are pivoted to said lever A between its arms D D, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

A track-jack as described, comprising the lever A formed with teeth B, toe C, and angular integral arms D D', and pivoted to the jack proper by a bolt f, in combination with the hinged weighted handle G, pivoted to the upper end of said lever A by a bolt E between the arms D D, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

el. A track-jack as described, comprising the standards b, the toothed supporting-levers A A', independently pivoted to the standards ZJ by a bolt f, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. A track-jack as described, comprising the standards b, and the supporting-levers A A' hinged to said standards, and formed with an alternating series of teeth B, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in presence'of two witnesses.

PATRICK LARKIN. l/Vitnesses:

JOHN F. CONKEY, IRA S. KENNEDY. 

